Why Werner Herzog viewed Roger Ebert as a “valiant soldier for cinema”
Of all the film critics who have risen to become more than just respected journalists but genuine celebrities, Roger Ebert is arguably the most famous. His impact on the craft was mammoth due to his accessible approach. Whether he was reviewing an obscure arthouse film or a hit blockbuster, Ebert made sure that anyone could understand whether the film was worth seeing or not.
His language was often humorous and straight to the point. He didn’t see the point in sugar coating any of his thoughts, thus, Ebert’s reviews attracted many readers, looking for brutally honest opinions about the newest releases. However, Ebert sometimes found himself feuding with filmmakers who he had dissed, such as Vincent Gallo, who attempted to curse Ebert’s colon.
The filmmaker was not happy to see that Ebert had slated his feature The Brown Bunny, calling it “the worst movie in the history of the Cannes Film Festival”. Ebert detailed what Gallo said about him due to his less-than-charming review of the scandalous film: “He called me a ‘fat pig’ in the New York Post and told the New York Observer I have ‘the physique of a slave trader’.”
Yet, Ebert did have fans that were acclaimed filmmakers, like Werner Herzog, who believed that the critic was a true necessity in the industry. Herzog, who began making films in the late 1960s, had several of his movies reviewed by Ebert, and luckily, a large majority of his films were awarded the full four out of four stars by the critic.
Talking to Matt Fagerholm for RogerEbert.com, Herzog highlighted the hole that was created in the landscape of film criticism when Ebert passed away in 2013. “Roger Ebert was the last mammoth alive who was holding the flag for real movies and moviemakers. He was a very valiant soldier of cinema who passed away, and we miss him. It’s over with serious discourse about cinema in the print media and on television. It has been replaced by celebrity news. So we are speaking in his spirit always.”
That was the beauty of Ebert’s writing. While he was often funny and straight to the point, he championed movies of all sizes and seriously cared about the joy of cinema. Ebert might have offended some directors, but he was dedicated to exposing people to everything that cinema had to offer, and he wasn’t afraid to let people know when a film was not worth their time.
Ebert was a big fan of Herzog, and when he reviewed Fitzcarraldo, he wrote, “Among directors of the last four decades, has anyone created a more impassioned and adventurous career than Werner Herzog? Most people have only seen a few of his films, or none; he cannot be fully appreciated without a familiarity with his many documentaries and more obscure features.”
In another review, this time for Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Ebert echoed a similar sentiment. “Of modern filmmakers, Werner Herzog is the most visionary and the most obsessed with great themes. Little wonder that he has directed many operas,” he explained.
